We’re Taking a Crap the Wrong Way

Yeah, you read that right. The way we go to the bathroom has been incorrect since the rise of the western civilization and the creation of the modern toilet.

How to Take a Crap Properly

Stanford University has revealed a new study that shows squatting is the proper and recommended way to go to the bathroom. What’s more astonishing is that this study isn’t new. According to Henry L. Bockus inGastroenterology, the standard textbook on the subject:

“The ideal posture for defecation is the squatting position, with the thighs flexed upon the abdomen. In this way the capacity of the abdominal cavity is greatly diminished and intra-abdominal pressure increased, thus encouraging expulsion …”.

The reason is because of the puborectalis muscle.

This muscle acts as a sling for your rectum and maintains continence. When we sit down on the toilet, the hold on the rectum is loosened, but only partially. In a squatting posture, the hold is completely relaxed, allowing for an easier release of your bowel.

Why Squat?

It may seem a bit too much work to squat every time you need to go to the bathroom, so why do it?

Simply put, it is healthier.

Squatting is what humans (and most animals) have done for thousands of years before the invention of the modern toilet. Ailments such as constipation, hemorrhoids, and appendicitis have increased since the adaption of the modern toilet. Research shows that our bathroom posture plays a bigger role in these ailments than a lack of dietary fiber. This awesome video explains everything in more detail.